Chương 81: A Legacy Left Behind

The deep sword wound across Gark's chest during the battle against Drake's team was still fresh in Zelier's memory. If Vaelis hadn't stopped the bleeding in time, Gark might have lost his life right there.

"It's not quite that exaggerated." Marcus chuckled and waved his hand.

"But half-orcs are naturally built differently. Their bodies are far stronger than humans'. On top of that, Gark has already awakened a bit of aura. The self-healing ability granted by his Heart of Qi is stronger than average, so recovering this quickly isn't strange."

"Hey! Zelier! Marcus!" Gark noticed the two of them and enthusiastically waved. Then he casually pushed through the crowd and walked over.

"How's the body holding up, big guy?" Zelier patted Gark's arm.

"Hahaha... I've been fine for ages." Gark laughed loudly.

"If I stayed in bed any longer, I'd probably start growing mold. I was getting too bored." He slapped his chest.

"So? Taking a commission together?"

"Been waiting for you to say that." Zelier smiled. Not long afterward, Grey and Vaelis arrived at the Adventurer's Guild one after another. Neither of them found Gark's recovery surprising. However, Grey started looking Zelier up and down.

"Zelier, I really don't understand you... Aren't mages supposed to spend all day meditating to improve their strength?" Grey scratched his head.

"I swear, in the entire Blackstone Town Adventurer's Guild, you're definitely the most active mage here."

"I've met other mages before. Usually, after earning some money, they just retreat into their little towers and disappear for months."

"They're nothing like you."

"Hey, I don't have a choice." Zelier sighed, putting on a miserable expression.

"How else am I supposed to afford spell scrolls, mage robes, and staffs?"

"One magic staff alone costs at least a hundred gold coins. Mage robes are ridiculously expensive too. Everything costs money."

"Otherwise, where do you think all my new spells came from?"

"Every single one required me to work hard and earn money before I could buy the scrolls and learn them."

"Being a mage isn't as easy as you think."

"That's true." Grey nodded with a deeply understanding expression. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"You really are one of the poorer types of mages." He still remembered Lante's shining appearance that day. The group's eyes repeatedly scanned the commission board. For some reason, suitable missions seemed to be becoming rarer and rarer recently. Most of the available requests were simple tasks that even apprentice-level adventurers could handle. Low rewards. High hassle. Not only did Zelier have no interest, even Grey wasn't tempted. In the past, they would have accepted those missions anyway.

After all, they had even taken Zelier out to clear wolf packs before. But after a series of high-reward commissions, the entire team had earned quite a bit of money. Naturally, their standards had risen. Compared to before, these ordinary requests now seemed rather beneath them.

"Speaking of which... are there no higher-ranked commissions?" Zelier asked.

"The highest ones I've seen here only involve monsters rated as [Difficult]."

"Where are the commissions involving [Challenge]-rated monsters?"

"There are some." Grey shrugged.

"But you need to become a Silver-Rank Adventurer before you can accept them."

"We're not qualified yet." He pointed toward the right side of the hall.

"That area has the higher-ranked commission board." Zelier followed his gaze. On the right side of the guild hall was a passage leading into another section. Two guards stood beside the entrance. Their expressions were serious and intimidating.

"Alright..." After searching through the available missions for a while, everyone's attention eventually settled on one commission. [Western Ashwood Forest Treant Lord Extermination Commission] Recently, signs of Treant activity have appeared within the ancient forest region located in Western Ashwood Forest. Treants possess an extremely aggressive territorial nature. Several hunters and lumber workers have already been injured.

Adventurer teams are being recruited to enter the area and eliminate the Treant cluster. Commission Rank: Lower-Rank (Two Stars) Objective: Eliminate the cluster leader, the Treant Lord. Investigate whether other trees have been corrupted. If any are discovered, destroy them as well. Reward: According to current intelligence, this cluster contains approximately ten [Treant Minions] and one [Treant Lord] commanding them. Each Treant Minion: 20 silver coins. Treant Lord: 6 gold coins.

Guild Notes: Both Treant Minions and Treant Lords are highly vulnerable to fire. Mages proficient in fire-based magic are their natural enemies. If a team lacks a fire mage, carrying enough firebombs is also highly effective.

"Taking out a Treant cluster..." Grey rubbed his chin.

"This actually seems pretty suitable. Zelier knows fire magic, after all."

"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem." Zelier nodded. The first spell he learned had been Fireball. And his first Tier-3 spell was also fire-based— Flame Breath. Against these walking piles of wood, his magic should work extremely well.

"This commission..." Vaelis suddenly lowered his voice.

"If I remember correctly, wasn't this the one Drake's team accepted before?" Everyone froze. The atmosphere instantly became slightly heavier. They had indeed heard Drake mention that his team had accepted a commission but came back empty-handed. If it hadn't been this mission... They would never have encountered Drake's team that day. After a moment, Zelier also lowered his voice.

"Did the guild... investigate?"

"I asked around." Marcus remained expressionless.

"The guild did send people, but they only questioned a few adventurers familiar with Drake's team."

"They didn't find any useful clues."

"After that, the matter was quietly dropped."

"I haven't heard anyone mention it since." Within the Adventurer's Guild, missing adventurer teams were not exactly rare. Sometimes they were killed by monsters. Other times... Well, the outcome was usually the same. If bodies were discovered, the guild could send people to investigate and gather information. But if there was no trace at all... It was simply considered bad luck. Without solid evidence, nobody would spend too much time digging deeper. There simply weren't enough people to handle every disappearance.

"Good..." Zelier nodded slightly.

"Then we'll take this commission." Marcus removed the request sheet from the board.

"Let's consider it helping that bastard Drake finish what he started." Grey gave a cold laugh. Western Ashwood Forest. Compared to the dense forest region they had visited before, the trees here were much more sparse. Numerous clearings dotted the area. The sky was no longer completely blocked by layers of canopy. Marcus' team of five moved quietly through the peaceful forest. Their footsteps were light. Everyone tried their best not to make unnecessary noise.

In an environment like this, even the occasional snap of a broken branch sounded especially loud. After traveling for some distance, Marcus suddenly stopped. He lowered his head and examined the map provided by the guild. Then he carefully studied the surrounding trees, the direction of their growth, and the spread of moss along the trunks. He was determining their exact location.